Despite new attorney, murder defendant wants August trial

Murder defendant Andrew Charles Redick remained adamant Thursday that he wanted to be tried starting in August despite the recent appointment of a new defense attorney.

Redick's projected eight-day trial will begin Aug. 11 as scheduled, Shawnee County District Court Judge Cheryl Kingfisher said in court.

Redick, 30, of Topeka, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lena Ann Keithley, 39, and arson in a fire in the victim's car.

Keithley’s car was found Nov. 15 in Ripley Park in East Topeka. Police officers said it appeared a small fire had been set inside the vehicle.

Keithley was found dead Nov. 15 in a room at the Country Club Motel, 3732 S.W. Topeka Blvd. Redick was bound over on the charges on May 28 after a preliminary hearing spanning two days.

Holton attorney Richard Lake was appointed to represent Redick after an earlier attorney withdrew from the case on July 1 because of a conflict of interest.

On Friday, Lake told the judge he needed a copy of the transcript of Redick's preliminary hearing and several other documents to represent Redick.

"The defendant adamantly wants an August trial," Lake said.

The judge scheduled a status conference for Wednesday, which will be after Lake has further examined the case and conferred with Redick.

Meanwhile, the judge on Thursday scheduled several motion deadlines and a motion hearing on Aug. 4, all to dovetail with the Aug. 11 startup date for the trial.

During the preliminary hearing, then-Shawnee County coroner Donald Pojman testified Keithley died from “asphyxia due to strangulation," but said he couldn’t rule out suffocation as a contributing factor.

Pojman also testified Keithley had a nontoxic level of methamphetamine in her system at the time of her death.

On June 2, Kingfisher entered pleas of not guilty on behalf of Redick. Redick remains in the Shawnee County Jail on a $1 million bond.